


Another Call Home

by Airplanesandcookies (Mosgirllee)



Series: untitled Derek Nurse fics [3]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Casual Racism, Gen, Microaggressions, Nursey POV, Nursey's family support network, canon gave Nursey a sister, fanon gave her a name, fits within canon, takes place after the Year2: Comic 3 Meet the Frogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 05:03:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11707368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mosgirllee/pseuds/Airplanesandcookies
Summary: Derek rubbed a hand over his face and groaned.  “The Next Food Network Star cornered me about an hour ago and asked me why can’t I get along with The Freckled Face.”A series of short fics that neatly fit within canon about my favorite frog and his thoughts and experiences at Samwell and on the SMH team.





	Another Call Home

Naimah picked up on the first ring.

“Fuck that guy! Oh my god, Fuck him!”

Naimah sucked in a puff of air through her teeth. “Okay.”

Derek threw off his hat onto his bed and threw himself heavily into his desk chair, with the wood groaning under his weight. “I hate this school, why did I want to come here?”

“I think you said, hockey, good english department and closer to home.” His sister said.

Derek rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. “The Next Food Network Star cornered me about an hour ago and asked me why can’t I get along with the Freckled Face.”

“Nope, nope nopipidy nope!” Naimah whisper hissed. He could hear her shuffling papers and books.

“Yo, if this is a bad, time, I can call back. I just needed to vent.” Derek said, his tone deflating with each syllable until the last word was more a huff of air than anything else. 

“I’m taking a break. I was going to call you anyway about socks. So, win win. Start from the top.” Naimah huffed into the phone line. Shoes clicking as she must have made her way to the exit. 

Nursey cursed one more time before starting “So, Food Network starts off with the ‘Hey, how’s it going? How’s your classes going?’ In that pacifying tone, so I immediately go on defense.” Derek jumps back up and starts walking around the room again, “I KNOW I gotta play it cool, right. So then TV star goes, real high pitched and sweet, ‘I notice that you haven’t been getting along with Dex. What’s up with that?’ Like its just a disagreement over a preference between coffee or tea or some shit.”

“Go on.”

“I tell him a truth - that I came to Samwell to get away from the whack, conservative hyper-privileged, up-tight guys I played with at Andover.”

“So, racist?” Naimah said.

“That’s the thing, I don’t think he’s like ‘I want Obama’s birth certificate - racist’, but he’s totally, ‘I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal’. I mean, I heard him talking about some of the shit his uncles have said, and I’m surprised he’s not worse to be honest.”

“Okay. So, what happened? You have your rule about not talking race or politics until you had a chance to vet your teammates. That’s a solid rule. On a scale of one to ten, it was a solid ten in self care.” Naimah said. Derek could hear leaves rustling and he could easily imagine her plopping down on the ground near whatever building she was outside of. 

“You remember Shitty Knight?”

“Yea, my graduating class. Tested every no shoes, no shirt, no service rule within 20 miles. ” 

Derek settled back down in his seat, “He’s on the hockey team here. So, at breakfast last week, Shitty sits down next to me and starts talking about his thesis on gender studies and sports culture. And so we are spitting ideas back and forth and I ask what teachers he likes, who should I look into, who is addressing race and poverty, and next thing I know we are talking about his favorite professor who was tackling white privilege.”

“So, Red Lobster, wonders over and jumps in with a, “I hate that term. I don't have ‘white’ privilege. I’ve had to work for every penny I’ve ever earned, blah blah blah. When people work hard, they get what they deserve, blah blah blah. I’ve never needed or asked for handouts or Affirmative Action, blah blah blah.

“Naimah. Naimah. I KNEW this was a conversation I didn’t need to be in. I KNEW I was close to losing my cool. So, all I say is, ‘Chill, man.’ And Grumpy Cat explodes and doubles down.”

Naimah cringes in sympathy.

“So now, he’s going on asking how is he the privileged one, that I live in a single off campus and my mom bought my equipment and how I went to the preppiest school in America while forgetting the fact that I’m sitting next to Shitty.”

“Oh let me guess.” Naimah said, voice flat.

“Sis. I’m pretty sure that Shitty’s dad is responsible for the housing crisis. Let’s not forget that our captain, Jack, is legacy because his mom, one of the original supermodels, went to Samwell, and oh, he's the son of one of the most famous hockey players in the world. One of the other forwards on the team, has a building on campus named after his grandfather. But who is Dex mad at? I can’t help but notice that one of these people doesn’t look like the others.” 

“Well, that sucks so bad. Is there anyone you can talk to about this? Another teammate? A coach?”

Derek kicked himself around in a small circle in his chair. “I tried talking to Chowder, but I think he’s the one that told Bitty to talk to me. I don’t want to bring it up to Ransom, because I don’t want to impact his relationship with Dex since they get along for some reason. I can’t talk to the coaches because I don’t want to be the uncooperative player, you know? I’m just stuck with him. At least for the year.

“Look, Ransom and Holster? Brothers from another mother. Ollie and Wicks? Drift Compatible. Those other two guys that I can’t remember their names, they can barely skate, but they suck together and so coach always pairs them up. That means, I gotta play with Dex. He’s good! He’s a powder keg of barely controlled rage with a slap shot that’s almost as good as mine.” 

“You could, I don’t know, not talk to him?”

“Hell no! He doesn’t get to hold on to his fragile world views and get a slice of pie and a pat on the head.”

“Is pie…is that an euphemism?” 

“No, it’s pie pie. Literal pie. Food Network makes a pie a day and I’m not missing out on that , plus team bonding, and playing hockey because Lobster can’t handle being called out on his bullshit.”

Naimah was silent for a minute.

“And now I’m super worried because Bitty is Jack’s favorite. If Bitty knows, then Jack is going to know because everything Bitty says is golden. If he finds out, that’s it. It’s over. I should have gone to Harvard with you.”

Naimah sucked her teeth, “Naw, two Nurses? We would shut down campus.”

“Yeah, but I would have had my big sis nearby.” Derek mumbled. 

“Ok, do you just need a place to vent or do you want some problem solving?”

Derek shrugged, “As long as its not a suggestion to apologize. Cause I’m not. He’s just going to have to get used to my face everywhere.”

“Never! But I think it may be good to walk up to the dude and lay it out, ‘I’m here to play hockey and kick ass at it.’”

Derek chuckled. “I didn't come here to make friends?”

“Yeah, basically. Look, this isn’t going to solve itself overnight. You aren’t going to be able to play some ill conceived county music/pop crossover at breakfast and suddenly be like, ‘Wow! we totally get each other now.””

“To be clear, I’m LL Cool J in this, alright.” Derek said.

Naimah joined in, “And D, honey, disengage. You aren’t responsible for breaking him of all his biases. Like, that’s an emotional load that you do not need to carry.”

Derek sighed loudly and bite down gently on his tongue. “I’m trying, but then I keep wanting to keep poking at him and be like, “be better.”

She laughed, trying hard not to. “I know you. You like metaphors. Right now, you are pressing on an open wound. You gotta let it scab over at least.”

Derek started scribbling on a notepad on his desk.

“Wait, are you writing this down, now?”

Derek paused for a moment, “It was a decent metaphor, I may want to incorporate it later into a poem or something.”

Derek could hear Naimah rolling her eyes, “It’s cliche, be better. At least.”

Derek huffed a laugh, “I feel better, thanks sis. Now, you were going to call me about socks?”

Naimah grunted as stood up. “Anytime and always. But seriously, this is tough shit, especially to try and navigate alone. If you need me, call me and I can get to your campus in an hour.”

“Thanks, Nai.”

“No problem. Now, onto the next item on our agenda. What are you getting dad for his birthday? We need to coordinate. I am still pissed that you wrote him a BOOK OF POETRY while I gave him socks last year.”

“He loves those socks! He wears them every Tuesday!”

“Then you can get him socks this time, and I’ll make a memory photo book or something.” Naimah said.

“Yeah, let’s coordinate something.” Derek mumbled.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”


End file.
